Debts made by husband to end his life: Farmer's wife

Kumbakonam: The widow of the farmer who committed suicide at a village near Kumbakonam Saturday night has now accused the local police of forcing her to state he killed himself unable to bear stomach pain whereas the burden of debts had driven him to the extreme step.

Indira Gandhi, widow of K Dhanasekaran (47) of Kothankudi village, told Deccan Chronicle that the family had borrowed Rs 70,000 pledging jewels and there was another debt of Rs.two lakh in the Indian Overseas Bank. Besides, the Thirupurambiyam Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Society, which had given loans to self-help groups of which her husband was a member, was upset with delayed repayments, she said.

Asked why then she had stated in her report to the police that her husband had ended his life due to unbearable stomach pain, a distraught Indira said she was forced by the police to say so. The police FIR quotes her saying the farmer committed suicide unable to bear stomach pain.

Perhaps the police did not want to cause embarrassment to the government at poll time with the sad news of a farmer killing himself unable to bear the burden of debts. “Debt burden is one of the reasons for the suicide of my brother”, said K.Amalraj, brother of Dhanasekaran. He told DC that he and Dhanasekaran were in a self help group of 12 members affiliated to Thirupurambiyam Primary Agriculture Co-operative Credit Society. The group had taken a loan in 2009 for purchasing a transplanter and Dhanasekaran was in charge of the machine which was being rented out to repay the loan. “My brother could pay back only a part of the loan”, Amalraj said, adding that the society was calling up his brother to clear the dues. He also said they were four brothers and each of them owned one acre of farmland.

Dhanasekaran’s son Nandakumar, 20, is working in a private company at Chennai while a daughter, Meena, is a post-graduate and is at home.
Meanwhile, P.Sivakumar, president of the credit society said that a loan of Rs 2,35,000 was  given to the self help group in which Dhanasekaran was a member on June 12, 2009. Dhanasekaran repaid Rs 10,000 on July 6, 2010. “There was no harassment from our side” he said.

Swamimalai police have registered a cased of suicide. Farmers association leaders met Dhanasekaran’s family on Monday and consoled them. Cauvery Dhanabalan, vice-president of the Vivasaya Sangangalin Koottu Iyakkam, said the number of farmers killing themselves due to harassment by bankers pressuring for repaying of loans was on the rise. There were cases of farmers being humiliated—such as the case of G.Balan of Orathanadu taluk, who was beaten and humiliated on March four by the police and the goons of a private finance organisation for not paying just two last instalments of his tractor loan.